Bottle cap



June 2, 1964 F. J. ST. JACQUES BOTTLE CAP Filed Oct. 17, 1962 INVENTOR FRANCIS J. ST JACQUES ATTORNEY This invention relates to a new and improved bottle cap, and the principal object of the invention residesin the provision of a bottle cap which does not present sharp 7 United States Patent outstanding edges by which the operators of the capping machinery may be injured as is often the case in the conventional crown cap presently widely used.

In the prior art the bottle cap is originally provided with a crowned outwardly extending skirt or flange and the metallic sheet materal used is so thin that these outstanding edges present relatively sharp jagged edges which may injure the hands of the persons operating the capping machines, and it is an object of the present invention to' provide a bottle cap which operates and is utilized in the same machinery as the caps of the prior art but which at the same time is shaped in such a way as to fail to present any-such outstanding sharp edges.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a bottle cap of the nature described in which an outstanding skirt 3,135,408 Patented June 2, 1964 ICC is that instead of extending outwardly, the flange 14 is turned inwardly at so that the terminal edge portion 22 of the cap extends inwardly rather than outwardly as respects the general configuration of the cap, a

and for this reason it Will be seen that this completely obviates the outstanding skirt ordinarily found in the prior art crown cap so that the fingers of the operator are much less apt to be injured and there are no outstanding projections tocatch on on any of the machinery or on the clothing, etc.

When the new cap is to be applied to the pouring lip which is indicated at 24 of the container to be closed, it is positioned relative to the pouring lip in exactly the usual manner and pressure is applied to the inclined edges 14 downwardly in the direction of the arrows 26. This causes the portions 20 to swing inwardly as for instance clockwise according to the arrow 28 in FIG. 3, and thus is positioned in such a way as to depend and extend slightly inwardly relative to the cap rather than outwardly as in the prior art, and when the bottle is capped, the machinery which was formerly used to press the outstanding or flaring skirt downwardly to crimp the cap to the pouring lip of the bottle is used to push the downwardly depending slightly inwardly extending crimping flange in the present invention to extend slightly further inwardly to crimp the said pouring lip and to form a tight closure for any kind of container for which the cap is ordinarily utilized.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will 7 appear hereinafter.

Reference is to he ings, in which FIG. 1 is a view in side novel cap; a

FIG. 2 is a plan view, looking in the direction of arrow.2 in FIG. 1; i 1

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the cap showing the same applied to the pouring lip of the container.

T he cap of the present invention in many respects is the same as the ordinary crowned cap of the prior art. It is preferably made of sheet metalor even possibly had to the accompanying drawelevation illustrating the plastic and it includes a top flat portion generally indicated at 10 which is closed and continuous and which is in the nature of the bottom of'a cup, being turned inwardly .at the edges thereof forming a flange 12. The annular flange '12 terminates in an outwardly bent inwardly as is indicated at ztlfinstead of continufing outwardly. Thevconstruction in the Ipresent..,case

the portions 20 grasp or impinge upon the under sides of pouring lip 24 as shown in FIG. 4. This closely grips the pouring lip in the usual manner with the cork 30 forming the seal for the container. 7 7

It will be clear therefore that the crown cap of the present invention is as efficient in acting as a closure as the well known prior art flanged type of crown cap but that it is easier to handle on the part of the operator and a good deal less dangerous, and at the same time it is processed through thecapping machinery exactly as in the prior art and by exactly the same machinery with no modifications necessary in this respect.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claim, but what I claim is: e V As an article of manufacture, a bottle cap ready to be applied to the pouring lip of a bottleand comprising a flat top and a flange about the top, the flange including three parts, one part next to the top being substantially cylindrical, the second part of said flange extending at an incline outwardly away from the cylindrical part of the flange, and the third and terminal part of the flange being directed generally inwardly at an incline with respect to said second part and terminating in an edge for the cap,.said edge being located inwardly I of the junction between the second part and the third part of the flange, said junction being along a line which is the outwardmost limit of any part of the cap, a gasket located in the cylindrical part of the flange, the third part of the flange being adapted to be swung slightly further inwardly to grip the pouring lip of -a bottle to be capped, while the second part of the flange abuts the pouring lip but remain unchanged, and spaced indentations, about the periphery of .the second and third parts of the' flange, which are directed inwardly to give a series of point contacts with the pouring lip. 7

References Cited the file of this patent I V V UNITED STATES PATENTS 'Spengler Sept. 14, 1937 

